JK: "I've known Masai for a number of years, dating to his time here as a scout. He and I had an agreement and the agreement that we came to was the number that he asked for. When Toronto came calling, that was the one opportunity that I knew he might leave us for and that resulted in Masai and I having a conversation. It wasn't a black and white situation which I think a lot of people tried to make it around the contract - which was the money - and I don't think it was a situation regarding money at all. I know people say that all the time because of the amount of dollars thrown around in this league, but there are a lot of close relationships involved as well."

What can we get from this statement? Not putting pen to paper after the 76ers came calling cost the Nuggets Masai Ujiri. Money aside, the Raptors job obviously meant a lot to Ujiri and not locking him up opened up the opportunity for Ujiri to head "home" as he called it.

JK: "Masai told me not to. He said, "You know Josh I'm not going to tell you match. I think I've already made my decision." His press conference was very revealing because it showed his affinity for the city of Toronto. In his opening statement he said, "I'm home" several times. I don't think it was intention to move on from Denver very quickly, but Toronto was always a special place for him as well. His career started here as a scout, then he moved to Toronto, then he came back here, and now he's back in Toronto. As far as matching the offer, Masai told me not to. I said, "Well buddy, if that's your decision then we're not even gonna have the conversation. I wish him the best. I know it's a tough thing for Nuggets fans to lose somebody like Masai, but I can assure all the fans that we're gonna be fine. We're excited about the future, hopefully they trust me at this point in time, somewhat, because I was the guy that hired Masai.

"There was a lot of criticism that came my way, initially, in the Melo process for picking a novice like Masai. I think he and I navigated that pretty fine. I think whatever decision I make regarding our front office and our coach, going forward, is going to be the best one both short and long-term for the Nuggets.

Intersting. If it's legit that is. Thought the blurb on Lowry was a nice tidbit too...

Q: Klow – I loved the guy in Houston, loved the acquisition when it happened, did well in the begging on the year, then tailed off. What happened? and is He STILL the GUY for this team?

DC …(para phrasing) Lowry has the skill set to make him a great player. Kyle (and he’ll the first to tell you this) was in the worst shape of his career coming into this season. He missed training camp bc of the abdominal injury and even when he came back he wasn’t 100%. Once he went down, Jose came in and we reeled off 5-6 wins in a row. That added to the psyche of Kyle. First injury now his role being compromised. When he returned, he still wasn’t 100% and got fatigued often. There were times when you saw guys blow by him, not because he couldn’t stop them but bc he was out of shape.

He’s butt heads with alot of coaches in the past… Iavarroni, Mchale etc. Kyle is a competitor and everyone knows that. Him and I have spoke alot and he knows that I NEED him to be at his best at all times. This is a big year for him. I’ve told him that this is his year and his shot. He’s got to be in the best shape of his career and be ready to take this team to the next level. It’s there for him to take. I’ve been texting Kyle alot, and he’s already lost 15 lbs. It’s great news and we are looking for him to be the guy – not just THAT GUY in a contract year. I’ve told KYLE, I’ve been spoiled with PG’s in the past, I had PAYTON and JKIDD in the past.

At the end of the year, we will assess if he is the right guy for this team in the long run. (he said this twice… which made me think a bit as to maybe there’s something more).

Love this from Casey ".. I’ve been texting Kyle alot, and he’s already lost 15 lbs." And this "...The way I work is regardless of who’s on the team, spots are not guaranteed and I think with Massai on board, we share that sentiment. Last year we did alot to try to get Andrea going and no matter what we did it didn’t work. This year, we are going to let our guys go to battle and let the cream rise."

Love this from Casey ".. Iíve been texting Kyle alot, and heís already lost 15 lbs." And this "...The way I work is regardless of whoís on the team, spots are not guaranteed and I think with Massai on board, we share that sentiment. Last year we did alot to try to get Andrea going and no matter what we did it didnít work. This year, we are going to let our guys go to battle and let the cream rise."

Really though it seems like Raps will be making some lower end picks instead of a huge splash it seems Ujiri will likely be grabbing the 13 and a second rounder instead of going into the top 5... Is it a wait and see approach with the current core?

If Raps exit this draft with Kabongo ill be mor than happy good back up for Lowry, and to push Lowry as well.

MU … Culture, Branding, Winning. We are not here to put a perennial playoff team on the floor year after year. If you ask me to go make this team a playoff team, it’s a PIECE OF CAKE. EASY! We can do that no problem. But WHO wants that? what’s the point of just playoffs? We are here now to change the culture of this franchise and give it an identity. We want the best players for our system and we will go get them. For those that say players wont come here etc.. I don’t believe all that or get caught up in it. It’s not the country or the city … it’s basketball. If there’s a culture here, an identity and something that players know they can be a part of, we won’t have any issues. And even if we do, we don’t want to those guys anyway. We want players that want to be here for the sake of basketball and WINNING Championships.

Hopefully the defense returns and the offense evolves from high school sets.

Q: Rudy Gay, his fit, what he needs to do this year.

DC … Rudy is a great talent and has the respect of the league and officials. When he came in, he gave us that BOOST OF CONFIDENCE that we needed. He’s a STAR. He knows the game and knows how to play it. Rudy is a guy who has a ton of confidence on the offensive end. When he gets the ball, and gets in the motion (coach mimicking cross overs), he knows he can score on the opposition. He gets ‘geeked’ up for the matchups vs Lebron, Carmelo etc. What we NEED from Rudy is to do that EVERY NIGHT, against even the 2nd or 3rd tier players whomever they might be. Rudy and I are very close and we talk often. He offers alot of insight on strategy and offers suggestions. I’ve told him, that he needs to TAKE THIS TEAM and MAKE IT HIS. We have talent on this team but no disrespect to our guys, RUDY IS OUR GUY. I’ve told him that we need him to be a different guy than he was in Memphis. There, he could have off nights or the luxury of having Zach and Marc with him to spread the load. HERE, we NEED him to drop 25 points a night and a grab few rebounds. He’s up for it,wants it and wants to be an ALL STAR.

INteresting. It is not going to happen with ISO after ISO or long 2 after long 2.

Wrapped up by saying keep with us and the team, big things are in the works and this is the year that everything comes to fruition. He spoke highly of Massai saying he brings a new element of FRESHNESS To this team by looking at our roster FULL CIRCLE ( a slight at BC) and knows where our strengths and weaknesses are. We are not looking to bring a playoff team to this city but a top seeded franchise that’ll be competitive night in and night out.

Are you a fan of this approach? Masai has great respect for BC and he is still with Toronto, so it looks like he will be for the most part sticking with the core and adding a few pieces and shedding dead weight.

Are you a fan of this approach? Masai has great respect for BC and he is still with Toronto, so it looks like he will be for the most part sticking with the core and adding a few pieces and shedding dead weight.

Best course of action for now perhaps.

Not sure if that was directed at me but....

I can easily get behind a tear down or continuing to build with what the Raptors currently have.

I hope no matter which route they go they can get another 2014 pick and adding a pick this year would be a bonus.

The Raptors could do both: if things don't start well next season (they'll have close to 50 games in before trade deadline) they could become sellers. Although at that point in time they'll likely be dealing from disadvantage.

No matter what happens, the Raptors have a lot of flexibility in 2 seasons with JV still having one year of a rookie deal left before an extension.

Hard to get a gauge on what direction the team goes, from both sources you get:

As Casey talks about veterans, getting a "punch in the mouth" type guy, I'm still on board with trying to get Kendrick Perkins to back up Jonas. Casey clearly wants that type of guy. I don't know if OKC wants Bargs, but I really see it as at least a legit conversation to be had between teams considering how little each respective player fits in their current team's plans, and how well each might fit with the change.

Lets get it done, get a gritty vet and a young project in one deal
-Bargs for Perk and PJ3
-Would gladly do Bargs for Perk and the 29th or 32nd pick in this draft, but money doesn't quite work...but if it can be worked out I'd like it too

I realize even expecting Perk to play well every night for 20mpg as a backup might be wishful thinking, but I think his character is exactly what we need, and especially in the middle.

As Casey talks about veterans, getting a "punch in the mouth" type guy, I'm still on board with trying to get Kendrick Perkins to back up Jonas. Casey clearly wants that type of guy. I don't know if OKC wants Bargs, but I really see it as at least a legit conversation to be had between teams considering how little each respective player fits in their current team's plans, and how well each might fit with the change.

Lets get it done, get a gritty vet and a young project in one deal
-Bargs for Perk and PJ3
-Would gladly do Bargs for Perk and the 29th or 32nd pick in this draft, but money doesn't quite work...but if it can be worked out I'd like it too

I realize even expecting Perk to play well every night for 20mpg as a backup might be wishful thinking, but I think his character is exactly what we need, and especially in the middle.